EROSION AND CRUST MANAGEMENT IN COARSE-TEXTURED SOILS WITH AN ACRYLIC-BASED SOIL CONDITIONER

A soil conditioner, PAW-1 synthesized from industrial acrylic waste, w as evaluated for its effectiveness for decreasing crust strength, runo ff, and soil loss, and for increasing the emergence of cotton seedling s and infiltration rate. Field experiments were conducted on loamy san d and sandy loam soils. Treatment of a sandy loam soil with the soil c onditioner in the amount of 3.75 g m(-2) substantially decreased crust strength after a 15-mm simulated rainfall and increased the final eme rgence number of cotton seedlings fourfold, as compared to untreated p lots. The treatment of a loamy sand soil increased its final infiltrat ion rare by 53% and decreased runoff and soil loss by 36% and 52%, res pectively, during a series of seven natural rainstorms spread over 15 days.